


Something Strange In The Neighborhood

by John_Q_Sample



Category: Hello Neighbor (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 08:17:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20739113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Q_Sample/pseuds/John_Q_Sample
Summary: Luanne doesn't share her son's fears, but she'd be lying if she said she thought her neighbor was normal. Still, he knows what it's like to lose a child.





	Something Strange In The Neighborhood

**Author's Note:**

> WHO YOU GONNA CALL (the fucking cops)

Luanne is out on the front porch. Usually, she doesn't have time to relax. On weekends, like today, she's always busy with house chores and her family.

Though "relaxing" isn't exactly the word for what's happening now. She stares blankly at the house across the street as she gnaws what's left of her fingernail. All of her nails are practically stubs now; she's been biting them in her sleep as she has nightmares about where her son could be.

With a sigh, Luanne turns down the street. She's not sure where she's going, just taking a stroll to release all the extra energy her anxieties have been giving her. She should really find something to do.

Luanne pauses, glancing at a pair of missing children posters nailed to a tree. The Peterson kids, and Nicky.

A sharp pain goes through her thumb. She glances at it and realizes she bit her nail a little too far.

Damn.

"Luanne, hello!"

The voice causes her to jump. Luanne whirls around and sees Theodore standing behind her with a plastic shopping bag.

"Hello neighbor," she murmurs, her gaze sliding downward as she wipes her finger against her pants. "What's going on?"

"I was just running some errands. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just..." She sighs, rubbing her eyes with her palm. "I'm a little stressed out."

"I can imagine." His gloved hand is like a ghost brushing against her arm, sending a deeply uncomfortable chill throughout her body. "I'm sorry about your son."

"Thank you...I just hope this isn't going to be a thing."

"A thing?" he repeats.

"First them, then Nicky. Imagine if more kids just started to go missing!" She lets her arms drop at her sides and glances at him nervously. "Sorry. That probably came off as really insensitive."

"No, I understand. I wouldn't want any more children to be harmed."

Luanne folds her arms across her chest and winces at the growing nausea in her stomach, which she blames on her anxieties about Nicky's safety.

"I just wish I had been there," she says.

"Oh, don't start with that. You go mad if you keep thinking what you could have done if you had hindsight in the past. I would know!"

Luanne winces at him. "It's just that, well, that morning that I left him alone, he was so nervous. He kept telling me that the phone was broken and that all of the other neighbors were off at work. He was convinced something would happen to him."

Theodore frowns.

"I hope he didn't bother you too much," Luanne says with a nervous laugh.

"What?"

"Well, I told him that we were going to fix the phone that evening, so if something went wrong, he should just go to you for help. Hopefully, he didn't disturb you?"

"Nicholas never...What?"

"Oh..." Luanne puts a hand over her mouth. "Then I guess I was the last person to see him."

Theodore doesn't know what to say.

"How do you deal with it?"

"Hmm?"

"Ever since Nicky didn't come back home, I've been freaking out. But you just seem so calm. How do you do it?" she asks, then adds nervously, "Sorry if that's a personal question. I'm just...lost."

"Well, to be fair, I've had a few months to handle this." And, unlike her, he doesn't have the added fear of knowing what might happen next. He struggles to come up with some honest advice he could give her. "I've been keeping myself busy lately. If I sat around thinking about it all the time, I'd probably go crazy."

"You're right. I think the police are annoyed with me always asking them for updates on the case. They keep saying, 'Ma'am, we promise we'll call you if we make any major progress on the case'...They haven't made any fucking progress at all." She glances up nervously. "Sorry for swearing."

"I don't mind." He supposes he should comment that he understands her frustration, as if he hasn't been benefiting from the lack of investigation for the past few months.

"God, I'm such a mess," she murmurs. She glances at her thumb again, then up at him. "And I just realized that you're probably trying to get home, and I'm just here rambling and taking up your time!"

Theodore pushes his glove aside to look at his wrist. He's been out for almost an hour now. He sours at the thought of what the children could have gotten up to during his absence.

"I really should be going," he says.

She nods numbly. They say their goodbyes, and they start walking in the same direction to their own homes. Right. This is awkward.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, they split.

Theodore pauses in the road as he glances at his house. Then he turns around, his hand waving uncomfortably in the air.

"Um, Luanne."

"Yes?"

"I'm...very sorry about your son."

"You already said that..."

"Well. I mean, I would feel terrible if something happened to him. I hope you and your husband are...alright."

Something about the comment makes her uncomfortable. He sees it and simply murmurs a farewell before disappearing into his house for real this time.

Luanne frowns as she watches the gate close.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm just. i am so mad. nicky was right across the street the whole time. it had to have been a few days at LEAST, given the game. maybe more. what the hell.


End file.
